New Therapeutic omega-3 unsaturated fatty acid for nonspecific inflammatory colonic diseases.

1994 Fiscal Year Final Research Report Summary

• Project/Area Number: 05807117
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for General Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Single-year Grants
• Research Field: Digestive surgery
• Research Institution: Tokai University
• Principal Investigator: NAKASAKI Hisao Tokai Univ.Dept Surg Associate Prof., 医学部・外科学, 助教授 (10056145)
• Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha): MITOMI Toshio Tokai Univ.Dept Surg Prof., 医学部・外科学, 教授 (20055809) ; YOKOYAMA Seishichi Tokai Univ.Dept Surg Prof., 医学部・外科学, 教授 (50096278)
• Project Period (FY): 1993 – 1994
• Keywords: non specific inflammatory clonic / disease / Crohn's disease / w-3 unsaturated fatty acid / trinitrobenzen sulfonic acid

Research Abstract

The causes of nonspecific inflammatory diseases fo the intestinal tract--Crohn's disease, ulcerative colitis, and intestinal Behcet's disease--are unknown. The remedies for these afflictions are total parenteral nutrition and the administration of steroids and salazosulfa pyridine immunosuppressants. It is known, however, that total parenteral nutrition over a long period leads to a decline in local immunocompetence, accompanied by disused atrophy of the intestinal tract. This produces expansion of an auxiliary lesion fo the inflammatory diseases and delayd healing.
The purposes of the research were as follow ;
(1) (a) Preparatory development targeting the creation of an absorbable EPA,which has a superior antiinflammatory effect. (b) The establishment of preparatory technology for emulsification by the use of lecithin, and (c) the creation of an emulsion that includes w-3 fat by mixing soybean oil and fish oil. (2) Examination of the effectiveness of the pervenous-administration method, by using the newly developed fat nutrient on diseased-animals' models. (3) Confirmation of the effect as a fat nutrient (a) by administering an appropriate mixture of fish oil to animal models, (b) by analyzing the fatty acid in the serum, and (c) by examining the histological findings and the state of the biological function of the intestinal mucous membranes.
The results :
(1) The stable production of EPA (w-3 unsaturated fatty acid), the prevention of oxidization, and peroral pervenous administration became possible. (2)Creation of experimental animal models : Inflammatory colitis was created seven to ten days through anal postinjection of TNBS (2,4,6-trinitrobenzen sulfonic acid). (3) Remedial experiment using fish oil (w-3 unsaturated fatty acid)
The experiment was conducted on Groups 1 through 5. After assessing the healing of large-intestinal ulcer through pathologic histological examination, significant effects were observed in Groups 2 and 3. No notable changes were observed in body weight, blood tests, etc.